U.S. Studies Glossary This is a list of key terms used in U.S. Studies that you will be expected to learn. These terms will be auto-linked throughout the course so that you can click on them for a pop-up definition. 1 0 dictionary 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 10 Reconstruction A term to describe the building up of the south after the Civil War 1 1 0 0 1 Freedman Men and women who had been slaves 1 1 0 0 1 Ku Klux Klan Secret society of whites that spread terror and violence amongst African Americans 1 1 0 0 1 Aboltitionist Reformers who wanted to abolish slavery 1 1 0 0 1 Plessy vs. Fergusson Ruled segregation was legal as long as facilities for blacks and whites were equal 1 1 0 0 1 Black Codes Dos and donts that severely limited the rights of freedmen 1 1 0 0 1 Segregation Legal separation of races 1 1 0 0 1 Carpetbaggers Northerners who went south to take advantage of southerners after the war for economic reasons but some truly wanted to help 1 1 0 0 1 Jim Crow Laws Laws that separated blacks and whites in schools, theaters, trains, playgrounds, hospitals, etc. 1 1 0 0 1 Black Monday October 28, 1929 when so many people were rushing to sell their stocks that it created a panic on Wall Street and made many stocks worthless in the end 1 1 0 0 1 Dust Bowl Central plains area where the top soil blew away in blinding dust storms due to high winds and overgrazing 1 1 0 0 1 Great Depression A period of economic hard times that lasted from 1929-1941 1 1 0 0 1 Propaganda The spreading of information or ideas that can influence how a person thinks 1 1 0 0 1 Selective Service Act The first peacetime draft in American History 1 1 0 0 1 Soup Kitchen A place where the hungry could get a free meal 1 1 0 0 1 Bank Holiday The closing of every bank in the country for four days so the government could evaluate which banks should close and which could stay open 1 1 0 0 1 Lend-Lease Program A program that allows the U.S. to lend war goods to any nation who is defending democracy. 1 1 0 0 1 Cash and Carry Policy The U.S. could sell war goods to the Allies in World War II if they paid cash and carried away the goods on their own ships 1 1 0 0 1 Migrant workers People who move from one region to another in search of work 1 1 0 0 1 Black Blizzard A dust storm 1 1 0 0 1 Bonus Army Veterans who camped along the Potomac River waiting for a promised lump sum of money from the government 1 1 0 0 1 Overproduction When a business produces more product than the consumers want 1 1 0 0 1 Rationing A controlled amount of goods, services and resources 1 1 0 0 1 Holocaust An event during World War II in which 6 million Jews were put into concentration camps and persecuted 1 1 0 0 1 Foreign Policy A government's policy about interacting with other countries. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion Isolationism A policy of not interacting with other countries. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Neutrality The policy of not taking sides in a dispute between two other countries or sides. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform XYZ affair A diplomatic episode in 1797 and 1798 where France demanded tribute from the U.S. in order to speak or bargain with their Foreign Minister. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Embargo Ban on trade with another country in an attempt to get them to make changes. When U.S. has an embargo on France that meant tha the U.S. refused to buy or sell things with France unless France made the changes the U.S. wanted (in this case, stop steeling from U.S. merchant ships. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Latin America The parts of American continents that speak Spanish or Portuguese. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Monroe Doctrine Policy put forth by President Monroe that states that the U.S. will support any country in the Americas that is threatened by colonialsim from Europe. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Second Great Awakening Christian/ Protestant revival movement in the early 1800's moving people to do good work. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States" title="Native Americans in the United States">Native American</a> nations from southeastern parts of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> following the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Removal_Act_of_1830" title="Indian Removal Act of 1830" class="mw-redirect">Indian Removal Act of 1830</a>. From Wikipedia 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Gadsden Purchase The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwestern_United_States" title="Southwestern United States">southwestern</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico" title="Mexico">Mexico</a> ceded to the U.S. in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Guadalupe_Hidalgo" title="Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo">Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo</a> (end of Mexican American War) in 1848, but had not been part of the areas east of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande" title="Rio Grande">Rio Grande</a> which had been claimed by the Republic, though the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Annexation" title="Texas Annexation" class="mw-redirect">Texas Annexation</a> resolution two years earlier had not specified Texas's southern and western boundary. from wikipedia 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform. Mormons Christian religious group that began in New York state in the 1820's. The Mormons were persecuted for their beliefs and moved west across the United States, finally setteling in Utah on the Great Salt Lake. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Forty-Niners People who moved to California in 1849 after the discovery of gold. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Reform Make change for the better. 1 1 0 0 1 Expansion and Reform Industrial Revolution the complex of social and economic changes resulting from the mechanization of industry that began in England about 1760. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ 1 1 0 0 1 tenements A rundown, low-rental apartment building whose facilities and maintenance barely meet minimum standards. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ 1 1 0 0 1 Gilded Age In <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/History+of+the+United+States">American history</a>, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post-<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/American+Civil+War">Civil War</a> and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century (<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/1869">1869</a>-<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/1896">1896</a>). The term "Gilded Age" was coined by <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Mark+Twain">Mark Twain</a> and <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Charles+Dudley+Warner">Charles Dudley Warner</a> in their 1873 book, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. The name refers to the process of <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Gilding">gilding</a> and is meant to make fun of ostentatious display while <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Word+play">playing</a> on the term "golden age." http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1 Trust A special trust or business trust is business entity formed with intent to <a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Monopoly">monopolize</a> business, to <a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Restraint+of+trade">restrain trade</a>, or to <a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Price+fixing">fix prices</a>.<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/#cite_note-0" title="">[1]</a> Trusts gained economic power in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some but not all were organized as <a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Trust+law">trusts in the legal sense</a>. They were often created when corporate leaders convinced (or coerced) the shareholders of all the companies in one industry to convey their shares to a board of trustees, in exchange for dividend-paying certificates. The board would then manage all the companies in 'trust' for the shareholders (and minimize competition in the process). Eventually the term was used to refer to monopolies in general. In <a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/1898">1898</a>, President <a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/William+McKinley">William McKinley</a> launched the 'trust-busting' era when he appointed the U.S. <a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Industrial+Commission">Industrial Commission</a>. The report of the Commission was seized upon by <a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Theodore+Roosevelt">Theodore Roosevelt</a>, who based much of his presidency on "<a class="tip" href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Trust-busting">trust-busting</a>". http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1 Square Deal The Square Deal was <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/President+of+the+United+States">President</a> <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Theodore+Roosevelt">Theodore Roosevelt</a>'s domestic program formed upon three basic ideas: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection.<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Square+Deal#cite_note-0">[1]</a> Thus, it aimed at helping <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Middle+class">middle class</a> citizens and involved attacking the <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Plutocracy">plutocracy</a> and bad <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Trust+%2819th+century%29">trusts</a> while at the same time protecting business from the extreme demands of organized labor. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1 Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act (Sherman Act,<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Sherman+Antitrust+Act#cite_note-0">[1]</a> July 2, 1890, ch. 647, 26 <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/United+States+Statutes+at+Large">Stat.</a> <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=biU3AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA209" class="external text">209</a>, <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Title+15+of+the+United+States+Code">15 U.S.C.</a> <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/1.html" class="external text">§ 1</a>–<a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/7.html" class="external text">7</a>) requires the <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/United+States">United States</a> Federal government to investigate and pursue <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Trust+%2819th+century%29">trusts</a>, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the Act. It was the first Federal statute to limit <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Cartel">cartels</a> and <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Monopoly">monopolies</a>, and today still forms the basis for most antitrust litigation by the United States federal government. However, for the most part, politicians were unwilling to use the law until Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency (1901–1909). http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1 Hepburn Act The Hepburn Act is a 1906 United States federal law that gave the <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Interstate+Commerce+Commission">Interstate Commerce Commission</a> (ICC) the power to set maximum railroad rates. This led to the discontinuation of free passes to loyal shippers.<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Hepburn+Act#cite_note-0">[1]</a> In addition, the ICC could view the railroads' financial records, a task simplified by standardized <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Bookkeeping">bookkeeping</a> systems. For any railroad that resisted, the ICC's conditions would remain in effect until the outcome of legislation said otherwise. By the Hepburn Act, the ICC's authority was extended to cover bridges, terminals, ferries, railroad <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Sleeping+car">sleeping cars</a>, express companies and oil pipelines. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1 Militarism the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Militarism#cite_note-0">[1]</a> http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1 Alliances An alliance is an agreement or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. See also <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Military+alliance">military alliance</a> http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1 League of Nations The League of Nations (LON) was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Paris+Peace+Conference">Paris Peace Conference</a>, and the precursor to the <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/United+Nations">United Nations</a>. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members. The League's primary goals, as stated in its <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Covenant+of+the+League+of+Nations">Covenant</a>, included preventing war through <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Collective+security">collective security</a>, <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Arms+control">disarmament</a>, and settling international disputes through <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Negotiation">negotiation</a> and <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Permanent+Court+of+International+Justice">arbitration</a>. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1 14 Points The Fourteen Points was a speech delivered by <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/United+States">United States</a> President <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Woodrow+Wilson">Woodrow Wilson</a> to a <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Joint+session+of+the+United+States+Congress">joint session</a> of <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/United+States+Congress">Congress</a> on January 8, 1918. The address was intended to assure the country that the <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/World+War+I">Great War</a> was being fought for a moral cause and for postwar peace in Europe. People in Europe generally welcomed Wilson's <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Interventionism+%28politics%29">intervention</a>, but his <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Allies+of+World+War+I">Allied</a> colleagues (<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Georges+Clemenceau">Georges Clemenceau</a>, <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/David+Lloyd+George">David Lloyd George</a> and <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Vittorio+Emanuele+Orlando">Vittorio Emanuele Orlando</a>) were skeptical of the applicability of <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Wilsonian">Wilsonian</a> <a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Idealism">idealism</a>.<a href="http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Fourteen+Points#cite_note-0"></a> http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com 1 1 0 0 1